Americans live with disease for an average of over 12 years, exceeding the “disease burden” of any other nation in the World Health Organization (WHO), according to a new study. This research, analyzing health outcomes in 183 WHO member countries, revealed a significant gap between lifespan and healthspan in the U.S., coupled with a high burden of noncommunicable diseases, as published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Healthspan refers to the period of life spent free from illness. While longevity is increasing, the study highlights a concerning trend: these added years are often not healthy ones. Globally, the average person experiences 9.6 years of disease. However, the U.S. exhibits the largest disparity, with 12.4 years lost to illness, primarily due to the rise in noncommunicable diseases.
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Australia and New Zealand follow closely behind the U.S. with 12.1 and 11.8 years, respectively, representing the difference between lifespan and healthspan. The study also revealed a gender gap, with women globally experiencing a larger healthspan deficit compared to men. This difference reaches up to 2.4 years globally and 2.6 years in the U.S., largely attributed to a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases in women.
The WHO defines musculoskeletal diseases as conditions affecting joints, bones, muscles, and surrounding tissues, including arthritis, tendonitis, and osteoporosis.
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According to Andre Terzic, the study’s senior author and a professor of cardiovascular research at the Mayo Clinic, the widening gap between healthspan and lifespan poses a growing global threat to healthy aging. In the U.S., life expectancy has increased to 80.7 years for women and 76.3 years for men. While the global life expectancy stands at 72.5 years, only 63.3 of those years are lived in good health.
The study identifies mental and substance use disorders, along with musculoskeletal diseases, as significant contributors to the health disparity in the U.S. Researchers emphasize that while people are living longer worldwide, a substantial portion of those years are marked by the burden of disease. These findings align with previous research indicating rising cancer rates, particularly colorectal cancer, projected to result in a record two million diagnoses in 2024.
